"What makes Rowntree Marimbas so unique is the combination of an artisan level woodworker and marimba maker (Mike Rowntree) and a symphony level percussion educator coming together to help students thrive. When I met Mike, I knew we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something special for the community."
-Joshua Vonderheide
Founder and CEO | The Percussion Conservatory
Co-Founder | International Timpani Intensive
Proudly endorsed by Majestic Percussion
Regular Timpani and Percussion Sub | Houston Symphony
M.M. The Juilliard School
Our Story
In 2022, Mike Rowntree and Joshua Vonderheide were just neighbors in Missouri City, Texas.
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On the surface, Mike was a furniture maker and Josh was a percussionist. Simple as that.​​
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One day while sipping a coffee and chatting about how to save the world, Josh mentioned to Mike that there was a problem with rental marimbas in Houston: they were beaten, battered, out of tune, and expensive. Josh grew up here in Lake Jackson, Texas (just south of Houston) and as a preivous 6th - 12th grade percussion student of legendary percussion pedagogue Eric Harper, he really felt like students and parents were getting a raw deal.
The solution? Rowntree Marimbas.
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Josh and Mike worked together to create a world-class marimba that would prepare a student to make the transition from smaller practice marimbas to full size marimbas as they become more advanced into high school and beyond. Mike's tuning and craftsmanship on these instruments is world-class.
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Mike makes Rowntree Marimbas in small batches, using only the highest quality materials with a dedication to detail that exceeds other marimbas on the market. They feature professional-level upgrades like graduated bar sizes and rounded accidentals, previously found only on premium instruments made for advanced students and professionals.
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But we didn't want to just stop at making marimbas, we wanted to provide free education for all our students, too. That's why Josh is building an online "courses" section to this website RIGHT NOW! Students can already dive in for free at The Percussion Conservatory once they begin their rental or purchase a marimba with us. We highly recommend reaching out to your personal percussion director and asking them if our courses are a good fit for your student.
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We can't wait to meet you and help you on your percussion journey!